St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-08
PRESIDENT LORING SPEAKS.
What He Thinks of John De Lait-
tire as a Newspaper Writer.

What He Thinks of John De Lait-
tire as 4 Newspaper Writer.
John De Laittre's effusiOn in morn
ing paper did not meet with popular
approval Instead it has stirred up
hornets nest" so to speak. President
Loring. president of the park commits
sion, said yesterday:
Did see what John De Laittre said
i'm the Tribune about the alleged vast
ing of funds by the park board? Well,
| did. 1t was characteristic of the man,
and as uncalled for as it was unjust.
If Mr.. DE Laittre would investigate
more he would make fewer mistakes.
While it is true that there is def
cheney in the park fund, it is but repe-
tition of the condition of things for sew
eral years past. and is not a political
matter. The board has acquired,
without expanding one dollar
large tracts for park purposes cOndi-
tiOnal that certain improvements be
made thereon tracts which are to-day
worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
1t has aimed to keep faith with the
donors, and to save to the people the
grants secured. In so doing it has run
in debt somewhat, and if Mr.. De Laittre
had been a member of the board he
would have favored the same course.
As to anticipating the future in the pur-
chase of other lands he is cOrrect-that
is Just what we have done. The most
serious mistake was in not ''anticipat-
ing sOOner-we should have purchased
LOCO acres at the lakes when it could
have been purchased for so an acre,
and also the Washington Yale tract
or Johnson Lake eighty, when
the whole tract could have been
purchased for less than One-half the
amount we had to pay for the small
fraction known as Central park. and so
with other sections, we didn't "antici-
pate" until values increased so that we
couldn't get what we should have. No
city i'm the union can show as big assets
as Minneapolis for the money invested
in parks and park improvements. The
Lyndale avenue investment was mis-
take, as | look at it, but mistakes are
human. As TO the temporary loan of
S25.000 by the council we have no Occa-
sion to worry. Secretary Stevens has
fixed that. and the money is now in the
park funds
EUGENE NJ. WILSON ALSO SPEAKS.
In the mornings Tribune John de
Laittre finds fault with the park COM
misSioners for borrowing $4,000 from
the city water works fund. and criti-
ciSes the commission for extravaganza.
In this, as in the many public cOmmu-
nicatiOnS made by that gentleman, he
writes more from impulse than infOrma-
ton. During the past summer there
have been some expenditures made
which did not meet with the approval
of some of the older members of the
commission, including myself. But
they were made under the authority CT
a majority. who had the legal right to
do SO. An Indebtedness was incurred
which demanded payment. A large
amount was due to labOrers, who were
in grieVOuS need of the money, and it
would have been cruel not to have pro-
Vided means to pay them. The city had
on hand nearly $500.000 for water works
purposes, which will not be needed for
a year. While there may have been
formal legal objection TO the use of any
OF this for park purposes. common sense
suggested that the needed $4,000 might
be temporarily borrowed from this fund
until the resources of the commission,
shortly to be received from taxation,
should be forthcoming to meet it. 1t
was economy, instead of eXtravagan ce.
TO thus save the city interest instead of
borrowing outside. The park commits
eminent, and Notwithstanding few
exceptions no department in this or any
other city has been conducted with
Stricter regard for economy and the
public welfare. The board has by law
the right to levy every year 1-mill tax.
1t has always waived the right and lev
led only a half mill, in order 10 keep
down taxation. Had it not done so it
would this year have So. 900 more funds.
and not have been obliged to borrow
But the $4,000 would have been taken
from the taxpayers. From some con-
siderable examination of the subject. |
challenge contradiction to the statement
that no city under similar circumstances
has ever acquired as much park accom-
mediation for the same amount of money
as Minneapolis, and no commission has
managed its financial affairs with more
business-like ability and economy. And
] feel free to say this, when also saying
that the great credit for our park system
is due to Charles NJ. LOring. the preSi-
dent of the commission, and the con-
servatiSm of our financial affairs to the
care of the chairman of our finance COM
mittee, Daniel Bassett.
Mr.. De Laittre continues his criticisms
by seeming 10 draw as parallelism the
Lake street bridge. have no defense
TO make for that enterprise. But if
memory serves me right, when the prop
oSitiOn was made to tear down the sus-
pension bridge. which was in the very
best of condition. and to build an eX-
penSive stone arch bridge to the island
on which Mr.. De Laittre resides, he was
not found on the side OF economy. | do
not wish to discourage opposition to
public extravaganza. III nothing is so
much reform needed. But this oppOsi-
ton. to be effective, must be intelligent.
The trouble with my friend De Laittre
is that, having been once mayor. he is
little too much OverpOwered with the
thought that he has still sole charge of
the city'S interests. and little too much
given 10 indiScriminate attack.
EUGENE NJ. WILSON.